It appears Jaromir Jagr’s tenure with the Calgary Flames is coming to an end and the two sides are “working on an exit,” according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
“There’s a certain amount of respect that he has earned and deserves to have and Calgary is trying to give it to him,” Friedman said during the Headlines segment Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada. “His agent, Petr Svoboda, has been given permission to talk to every other team in the league to see if there’s a fit for him. At this time there isn’t. … His time in Calgary is about done and they’re just trying to figure out how they’re going to go about it.”
When rumours of Jagr and the Flames possibly parting ways surfaced earlier this week there was speculation that Jagr could then potentially land a spot on the Czech Republic Olympic team, however Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported that scenario is unlikely. Instead, Jagr is focused solely on maintaining his NHL career.
Hypothetically, if Jagr is picked up by another NHL team this season, he will be owed a $150,000 bonus if he plays another eight games and potentially up to $500,000 beyond that depending on how many games he ends up suiting up for this season.
Jagr last saw action on Dec. 31 in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks but has missed Calgary’s past two contests as he deals with a nagging lower-body injury.
Nick Kypreos added that Jagr is in the process of figuring out whether or not his nagging ailments can be rehabilitated, or if it’s a situation where his injury woes are simply to do with the fact he’s 45 years old.
The future Hall of Famer has just one goal and six assists while averaging a career-low 13:03 of ice time in 22 games this season. He signed a one-year, $1-million contract with the Flames in early October.
Jaromir Jagr’s time with the Calgary Flames is likely coming to an end. According to reports from hockey insiders Elliotte Friedman and Bob McKenzie, Jagr and the Flames are “working on an exit” for the 45-year-old NHL veteran.
Jagr was given a one-year, $1 million deal — plus $1 million in performance bonuses — by the Flames at the beginning of October.
The 2017-18 season has been a disappointing one so far for Jagr. Injuries have kept the right winger to just 22 games played on the season, where he’s posted seven points and just 32 shots on goal in a very undefined role for Calgary. Jagr’s ice time has dropped from an average of around 17 minutes a night during his two and a half seasons with the Florida Panthers to just 13 minutes on the Flames’ fourth line this year.
In the offseason, the Panthers made waves by not re-signing the NHL veteran and letting Jagr jump to free agency. There were rumors that Jagr would consider a stint in Europe should no NHL teams come calling, but the Flames ultimately signed the 45-year-old before the start of the season.
While Jagr’s age has impacted his play, last season he posted 46 points in a healthy 82-game season and clearly still has some gas left in the tank to compete.
Friedman mentioned in his tweet that Jagr’s agent was given permission to talk to the 30 other NHL teams, but maybe the most interesting tidbit is that there is a rumored European interest for the forward. Should Jagr sign in Europe within the next few weeks, there is a possibility the 45-year-old could play for the Czech Republic team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The upcoming Olympics would likely be Jagr’s last chance at a medal, given his age, and terminating his NHL contract would make him eligible to participate given the timing.
While the reports that Jagr is on the market are heating up, there seems to be no imminent news or any rumored frontrunners for the veteran forward.
Jaromir’s Jagr stint at the Saddledome is coming to an end.
Sportsnet’s ace insider, Elliotte Friedman, reported on Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast that the Calgary Flames are in conversations about a mutual parting of ways with the legendary right-winger.
“The Calgary Flames and Jaromir Jagr are working on an exit,” Friedman said during the ‘Headlines’ segment in Saturday’s early contest. “There’s a certain amount of respect he’s earned and deserves to have, and Calgary is trying to give it to him. His agent (Petr Svoboda) has been given permission to talk to every other team in the league to see if there’s a fit for him.
“At this time, there isn’t … but his time in Calgary is about done.”
Jagr is one of the NHL’s all-time greats, but this latest chapter has been a frustrating one for the 45-year-old from the Czech Republic.
He was still seeking employment through training camp before signing with the Flames that was made official Oct. 4, the day of their regular-season opener.
Bothered by both a wonky groin and sore knee, No. 68 has been limited to 22 appearances with the crew from Calgary. He has missed nine of the past 14 contests and wasn’t in the lineup Saturday for a key divisional date with the Anaheim Ducks.
“I’m glad I’m here,” Jagr beamed after inking his one-year, US$1-million deal at the Saddledome in early October. “I want to say thanks to Calgary Flames organization. They gave me a chance to play at least one more year in the NHL.”
With 1,921 career points in NHL action, Jagr sits second to only The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, in the league record books.
He has barely added to that eye-popping offensive stat-line in Calgary, managing just one goal — he cashed on a two-on-one with Johnny Gaudreau in a Nov. 9 win over the Detroit Red Wings — and six assists in the Flaming C.
Still, Jagr has made an impact in the Stampede City.
Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan has praised his work with some of the team’s youngsters, including his chats with the 24-year-old Gaudreau about the mindset of being a go-to guy.
“That’s one of the challenges for high-end players is that they have to will themselves every shift to get something done, so Jags has talked to him at length about those kind of things,” Gulutzan told Postmedia in November, while Gaudreau was riding a career-high 10-game point streak. “(Jagr) speaks very highly of him. He says he’s got a great seat a lot of nights to watch him play. He really thinks a lot of him.”
The feeling, it seems, was mutual.
Jagr is 35 loggings shy of erasing Gordie Howe’s all-time games played record. It seems that is not going to happen at the Saddledome, but his teammates — many of them half his age — have gushed about the opportunity to see what makes the sure-thing Hockey Hall-of-Famer tick.
“When you get to see him behind the scenes and just what it takes for him nowadays to get up for every game, it’s pretty remarkable,” said Flames forward Curtis Lazar last month. “You hear the stories, and I think for a lot of people, it’s ‘OK, what’s the difference between fact and fiction?’ You don’t really know what’s real or not. Even I have a bunch of my friends texting me and asking me, ‘What does he do? What is he like?’
“I think one of the best things about him is he’s just one of the guys. I mean … sure, he’s only two years younger than my dad, but I see him just like some kid like me. We’re playing video games on the plane. You take jabs at one another. That’s what I appreciate about him — he’s been able to stay young and to adapt not only to the game and the speed on the ice but also just being himself. And the knowledge he has, too, it’s something that nobody can really compare to. Everything he’s brought, it’s been pretty good.”
Although his days in Calgary are near done, it doesn’t seem that Jagr is considering retirement.
There is speculation that he could sign in Europe if he can’t find another employer in the NHL.
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Jagr (undisclosed) will not play in Saturday's game against the Ducks, John Shannon of Sportsnet reports.
Jagr missed Thursday's game against the Kings due to the mystery ailment, and will make it two in a row with his absence from the lineup Saturday. Curtis Lazar will draw into the affair in the veteran's place, while Jagr's next opportunity to return arrives Tuesday against the Wild.
